September 11th’s Physical Trauma Rivals Its Emotional Trauma

Posted By
Pintas & Mullins Law Firm

The horrific attacks of September 11th on the World Trade Center forever
changed American history. As may be expected the emotional trauma subjected
on Americans steadfastly remains, but so have the physical injuries inflicted
on nearly all of the thirty thousand first responders that worked to save
lives that day. These physical injuries have morphed into the diseases
that often occur following extreme exposure to asbestos fibers. Our
Illinois asbestos and mesothelioma attorneys are exceptionally experienced at obtaining the maximum compensation for
our clients.

The original
World Trade Center was a collection of buildings in New York City’s financial district
that were completed in 1985. The two most prominent of these buildings
were the two towers; each of the towers stood 110 stories tall, making
them among the largest buildings in the world. Because the structures
were constructed primarily in the 1970s, many of the construction and
building materials contained large amounts of asbestos. This had never
been a problem until September 11th, 2001.

When the planes crashed into the two towers and sent them crumbling to
the ground, approximately two thousand tons of asbestos was released into
the air in the form of dust. This dust was unpreventable inhaled for extended
durations of time by roughly thirty thousand first rescue responders.
This dust lingered for a matter of days before eventually dissipating
and dispersing throughout the city.

Now that it has been over a decade, researchers are finally able to gather
more accurate data about the devastating physical effects of September
11th. In a recent report researchers discovered that 30 percent of first
responders had been diagnosed with asthma, forty percent had been diagnosed
with severe sinus problems, and another forty-five percent had been diagnosed
with gastro-esophageal reflux, which is a precursor to the very dangerous
esophageal cancer.

Another very large concern of physicians is the high likelihood that these
individuals will develop
mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a very serious type of cancer. It begins to form in the
lung’s lining, eventually destroying the lung and many of the surrounding
organs. As a result, individuals with mesothelioma have extreme difficulty
breathing and many victims of the disease do not survive even a year after
prognosis.

In addition to the health concerns of the first rescue responders, researchers
are also worried about the damaging effects these asbestos fibers had
on individuals that lived near the World Trade Center at the time of the
attacks. The proliferation of the dust containing asbestos also exposed
these residents for dangerous durations of time as well. However, while
these concerns are completely valid and scientifically plausible, researchers
have not obtained enough information to determine its accuracy or the
prevalence of mesothelioma in these individuals.

This information is especially difficult to swallow because of the pain
that still lingers from the September 11th attacks. Currently, New York
has been in the process of rebuilding the World Trade Center site with
a combination of memorial monuments and new infrastructure. This construction,
with the resilience of American unity, has enabled us to remember the
attacks but move on to the future. However, the recent development of
mesothelioma and other diseases impedes such emotional progress.

It is especially difficult because the victims now suffering with mesothelioma
might have to sue the city and construction companies for using asbestos
in the World Trade Center. This is uniquely painful because it exudes
a sense of blaming the city and companies, rather than Al Qaeda, for the
attacks. Unfortunately, lawsuits are among the only avenues of recovery
for these individuals. If you or a family member has suffered from mesothelioma
or any asbestos-related disease, you should contact an
attorney immediately.

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